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"She was beaten, just because. She was murdered, just because," said Sen. Royce West, D-Dallas. "When will we move past just because? Transgender rights are human rights."

Candles lit next to photos of Muhlaysia Booker during a candlelight vigil for her in Dallas, on Wednesday, May 22, 2019. Booker, a transgender woman, was the victim of assault at an apartment complex in east Oak Cliff in April. Booker was found dead in Far East Dallas on Saturday. (Vernon Bryant/The Dallas Morning News)(Vernon Bryant / Staff Photographer)

AUSTIN — The Texas Senate adjourned Thursday night in honor of Muhlaysia Booker, a transgender woman who was shot and killed in Dallas last weekend.

"She was beaten, just because. She was murdered, just because," Sen. Royce West, D-Dallas, said during a speech on the Senate floor Thursday evening. "When will we move past just because? Transgender rights are human rights."

After West's speech Thursday, Sen. John Whitmire pointed out that "gender identity" is not a protected category in the state's hate crimes law. He urged lawmakers, who will close out their biennial session next week, to change this when they meet the next in 2021.

"I'd ask that when we adjourn that we remember the name Muhlaysia Booker," West concluded. "M-U-H-L-A-Y-S-I-A. Because I'll never forget it."

Lauren McGaughy. Lauren has covered Texas politics for four years, focusing on everything from K-12 education to state gun laws.
She currently writes about criminal justice, state courts and issues pertinent to the LGBTQ community. She previously worked for The Houston Chronicle and in Baton Rouge, where she covered Louisiana politics for NOLA.com | The Times-Picayune. She loves cats and comic books and cooks a mean steak.